The ant-climate chickens have come home to the U.S. Supreme Court to sleep, but that does not mean the climate battle is over. Far from it. The seeds of change have already been sown in millions of homes and businesses across the country. That’s right, humble little heat pumps emerge as planet-saving heroes of epic proportions, and the firms AutoGrid and Willdan have big plans in store for them.
Connect the heat pump dots: Step 1, generation shift
For those of you who are new to the subject, heat pumps are electrical appliances that work like a refrigerator, just both sides. They can provide cooling or heating for HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), depending on the need – and yes, heat pumps also work in cold climates.
Now take in the idea that electric utilities can sell more kilowatts if they convince building owners – homes, offices, businesses or whatever – to switch from a gas or oil powered HVAC system to an electric heat pump.
If it starts to sound like generational shift, it’s only on a micro scale and not the macro scale envisioned by the authors of the EPA Clean Power Plan. In fact, just last year, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory cited heat pumps as a key element in the shift to a carbon-neutral economy.
In an interesting twist, some utilities are also trying to convince their electricity customers to abandon propane tanks, wood stoves and other unregulated sources in favor of heat pumps. That generational shift trend is evident even in West Virginia, which played an important role in breaking down the Clean Power Plan.
Heat pumps Step 2, virtual power plants
The role of electrical utilities in motivating the acceptance of heat pumps is complicated as many of them also sell natural gas for HVAC and other appliances. However, the heat pump trend could benefit gas and electric utilities by enabling them to reduce, eliminate or eliminate the need to build expensive new gas-powered “peak” plants and new gas pipelines.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but this is where virtual power plants kick in. All else being equal, more heat pumps will increase the daily load on power generation, ultimately leading to the need for new power plants. Instead, virtual power plants enable utilities to coordinate the electricity consumption of thousands of individual taxpayers, causing a shift away from normal hours of peak use.
Virtual power plants and generational shift
VPPs focus on both cargo shifting and generation shifting. The two are now connected by the advent of low-cost wind and solar power.
Virtual power plants offer opportunities to move more intermittent sources of energy, namely wind and solar power, to the electricity grid while reducing the need for expensive new energy storage facilities.
Virtual power plants also adapt to the trend of distributed energy sources. Even without the benefit of a full-fledged VPP, taxpayers who own rooftop solar panels and other resources can get cash from their local utility company when they contribute their on-site kilowatt to the grid.
In addition, utilities are starting to use VPPs to drive energy efficiency upgrades and energy efficiency in new construction.
Step 3: The Energy Storage Corner, Hot Water Heater Edition
If that thing about energy storage caught your eye, join the club. VPPs can also coordinate small-scale energy storage devices, including electric vehicles as well as stationary batteries, by encouraging their owners to participate.
This is all good for those who can afford to buy electric vehicles and lithium-ion battery packs. As for tens of millions of others, heat pump water heaters offer a more affordable way to participate.
After all, hot water is a form of energy storage. Anyone who owns a heat pump hot water heater can sap it during periods when electricity demand is low, and still enjoy hot water during periods when they are asked to turn off their heat pumps.
Heat pump water heaters are relatively new on the scene. Just a few years ago, the Electric Power Research Institute took a look at the topic and noted that the cost advantage over natural gas water heaters needs explanation.
Either way, the global market for heat pump water heaters is not waiting for further explanation. Earlier this year, the firm Markets and Markets recorded the figures and predicts that the size of the market will grow to $ 2.1 billion by 2026, compared to $ 1.4 billion in 2020.
“Factors driving the growth of the market for heat pump water heaters include energy efficient technology the use of non-conventional energy sources to heat the water”They remarked (emphasis added).
The Autogrid Angle on Hot Water Heat Pumps
Against this background, the well-known energy management software company AutoGrid joined the well-known company Willdan to put together a scheme that would deploy heat pump water heaters in virtual power plants.
The plan involves the replacement of gas-fired water heaters, with the goal of adding “significant levels of flexible grid capacity” to the sprawling California wholesale energy market, CAISO.
“The flexible capacity, when combined with other resources managed by AutoGrid’s VPP platform, strengthens the network and helps reduce the likelihood of power outages during periods of peak energy demand,” they explain.
As for the overlap between VPPs and generational shift, the shift is definitely underway. AutoGrid is on a mission to “enable utilities, electricity retailers, renewable energy project developers and energy service providers to deliver clean, affordable and reliable energy in a distributed energy world.”
“Collaboration with Willdan places heat pump water heaters in appropriate distributed energy resource (DER) programs that will have a positive impact on the environment, while also providing customers with an additional revenue stream,” they add.
So there. For the record, Willdan is all over the shift to clean power. This year alone, the company won decarbonization contracts with New York City, Utah State University (one of the largest energy consumers in the state) and National Grid. The National Grid contract is particularly interesting because it involves an incentive system for “gas-saving improvements across multiple building systems”, with the proceeds going to cover the cost of “gas-saving projects” for low- and middle-income taxpayers.
Next steps for climate action
The real concern about the U.S. Supreme Court is the apparent willingness of the 6-3 majority (all appointed by Republican presidents, for the record) to uplift the entire civic and social structure of the nation in favor of a state that is partially theocratic. is, in part, authoritarian, and all a seeing bundle of raw emotion disguised as “originality.”
Keep it up. Taking into account the public reaction to the ruling on Roe v. Wade, the six Republican-appointed Judges on the Court have already dug themselves – and their party – into a tarmac by exposing the long history of links between white violence, white supremacy and the anti-abortion movement.
The new Clean Power Plan ruling makes it all the more likely that the November election will empower enough new climate action allies in Congress to neutralize the worst excesses of a Supreme Court supremacy majority – but only if enough voters the climate picks up fighter ball and runs with it.
Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey.
Image: Virtual power plants, renewable energy via Willdan (screenshot).
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